Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 11 : Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Sanjay Singh thanked the central government following the revocation of the ban on the body by the Union Sports Ministry and also announced that wrestling leagues will start from November-December this year.
The Sports Ministry had suspended the WFI body after the newly elected WFI president Sanjay Singh announced the hosting of the U-15 and U-20 nationals at Nandini Nagar in the Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh in December 2023.
Speaking to ANI, Sanjay said, "This is a very happy moment for the wrestling federation. I want to thank PM Modi, Union HM Amit Shah and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for removing the suspension on WFI for the betterment of the country."
"Camps and events were not being able to held. People from all the states and backgrounds, especially the poor attend these camps, learn techniques and share them with people in their state. It benefits wrestling. Wrestling Leagues will be launched by June-July. Leagues will also start by November-December. Leagues will benefit the athletes a lot. They used to gain exposure by interacting with foreign talent," he added.
Starting from 2023, Several ace wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia spearheaded protests against WFI and its former president Brij Bhushan Singh, alleging him of sexual assault.
In August 2023, United World Wrestling (UWW) put a ban on WFI as it failed to organise elections within a stipulated time following accusations of sexual harassment and protests against ex-president Brij Bhushan Singh by top wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik. An ad hoc committee by the International Olympic Association (IOA) was put in place.
In late December 2023, elections were held and Sanjay Singh was elected as the new president of WFI. However, the wrestlers protested against his election, saying he was an aide of ex-president Brij Bhushan. Days after the elections, the Ministry suspended the federation again, a decision that came after Sanjay had announced the hosting of the U-15 and U-20 nationals at Nandini Nagar in the Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh by the end of the year. An ad-hoc committee of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was put in place once again to handle the day-to-day affairs of the federation.
The ad-hoc committee was dissolved in March 2024 after IOA said that there was no need for the body following the lifting of the ban on the federation by United World Wrestling (UWW) and the successful completion of selection trials for future competitions. UWW lifted the ban on WFI in February last year with immediate effect.
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